Persona
by xsimplysweetx
Summary: Appearances can be deceiving, especially when intended to be. For Annie, deception was the only way she knew how to get by in life and moving to Oak Tree Town wasn't going to change that. Two-shot. Pairing yet to be decided.
Annie stood in front of her new house, her new life, with a grimace on her face. She couldn't begin to describe how mortified she was to be doing this.

 _Annie has always had a knack for farming!_

 _Annie's great with animals, not to mention she amazing at growing crops!_

 _Annie loves farming; she's wanted to be a farmer ever since she was four!_

Yes, she wanted to be a farmer when she was younger. She stopped having that deluded fantasy when she was around eleven years old. However, during the downward spiral of which was her life, she apparently never had the time to tell her starry-eyed parents that. They continued looking at her like she was that same little girl with a red kerchief wrapped around her head, wearing over-sized boots and a tawdry dress as she paraded around the back yard with a watering can.

The worst part was, that's what she was now. With a red kerchief wrapped around her head, she wore a tawdry dress albeit with normal-sized boots. The only thing missing was the watering can, which she was sure she'd have soon enough.

"So, how do you like it?" a stern, feminine voice asked from behind her. It was the guild master... Victoria, was it? Honestly, she didn't care enough to remember. She was just another brick in the wall to her.

In an almost unnatural way, Annie perked up immediately and shot the older woman an award-winning smile, "Oh, I love it so much! Thank you, thank you! I can't even begin to describe how happy I am."

She couldn't describe it because it wasn't what she actually felt. Throughout life, there was one thing Annie had realized: she was a _good_ liar. Scarily good, to the point where there were times she even believed herself. Her parents always considered her a farmer because of her natural talent for it, but she thought acting was more of her true calling. The best part was she had that naturally innocent face, so she could get away with her even more.

As usual, not even an eyelash was batted as the guild master gave her a soft smile. Annie could see right through her: a workaholic with little to no concern for her own well-being while making herself seem more stringent than she actually was.

"Does she like it, Veronica?" a gentle, elderly voice questioned. So that was her name. Eh, she was close enough.

That little old lady Eda came shuffling along to join them alongside that "rival" farmer of hers. He was probably the best part of this ordeal so far. With that wild red hair and stupid big grin, he was pretty cute — y'know, in that "naive farm boy" type way. Maybe later she could convince him to do more with her than just swimming together.

She inwardly snorted. Yeah, right. He looked like the type of hick boy who had never even kissed a girl, nonetheless had any clue what to do with one in the bedroom, and she did _not_ sleep with virgins. They always became too clingy afterwards, having an idealistic mindset that losing your virginity was "special" and the person you gave it to was your soulmate or something. She didn't want to put up with that.

"I'm totally in love with it!" she lied through her teeth in a bubbly tone, adding a high-pitched giggle for emphasis. She wanted nothing more than to yell at the top of her lungs about how much she hated it and wanted to go back home so she didn't have to look at their faces ever again. However, she bottled up those negative feelings and kept that adorable little smile of hers intact.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you, deary." Eda said genuinely, causing an odd sensation in Annie's gut. So far, the hardest person to lie to in this town had been her for reasons not even she knew. Maybe it was because she felt like the old woman could see right through her facade and she didn't like that.

"Yeah, this is gonna be awesome! I'm stoked about havin' another farming rival. Don't think 'cos you're new at it that I'll go easy on ya!" Fritz energetically stated with another one of those ridiculously gigantic smiles of his. Really, just looking at him depleted her energy. How anyone could put up with him for extended periods of time was beyond her.

"I'm looking forward to it," Annie politely responded, gritting her teeth so she didn't accidentally speak how she really felt.

This was going to be a long year.

* * *

A season had passed since this forced agreement had taken place and Annie already felt like she couldn't take anymore.

She hated everything about it. She hated waking up at six in the morning every day, she hated dealing with those smelly animals, and she hated tending to crop after stupid crop.

It was all so tedious and pointless. Apparently, her natural ability to farm had dwindled as the years went on and she couldn't keep a crop alive to save her life. Maybe it was because she did care enough to pay fine, meticulous detail to keep them healthy.

That didn't do, though. Veronica had come up to her about half way through the Summer season and questioned why her crop shipping profits were so low. Annie bit her tongue every time, thinking in her mind how she didn't give a single damn about this ratty, tacky farm. It was excruciatingly, unbearably difficult to not yell that in her face, especially since her voice was so grating and she talked to her in a such a condescending way.

Not too long after that occurrence, Eda came by to lend her a helping hand. Pfft, like she needed it.

"Hello, deary," Eda greeted her in that old, grandmotherly way, tottering over to Annie who stood over in the fields.

"Hi, Eda!" Annie chirped in that sickeningly sweet voice she herself hated hearing. All she had to do was grin and bear what the old hag prattled on about. How hard could it be? "Thanks so so much for helping me! I guess I'm not doing as well I as thought, hee hee. I appreciate it!"

"You know, you can stop the act. No one else is around," Eda said in such nonchalant way that it left Annie slack-jawed, turning her attention over to the crops. "Now, you see, deary, your problem might be that you treat them all the same, where as they are still individuals and should be treated as such. Now, here we have a tomato stalk..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up," Annie cut her off as she shook her hands back and forth in a frenzy as if to emphasis her disruption. Placing her hands on her hips, the young woman arched her eyebrow at her senior, "What do you mean, 'act'?" She had gotten so caught up in the moment she forgot to put on her fake voice, thus unintentionally shattering the illusion even further.

"Oh, come on now. I know I'm old and my sight isn't what it used to be, but I'm not blind nor gullible." Eda told her in such an easygoing manner it unsettled her. She leaned forward and took hold of one of the budding, green tomatoes with tender care, examining it. "I've seen quite a bit in my day, deary, and I have been able to tell from the get-go that you hate being here. Is it right to assume you were made to do this?"

"You don't know anything about me," Annie shot back defensively, crossing her arms over her chest as if to protect herself from how scarily well Eda was at seeing through her. She didn't even bother to think about how cliche what she said was.

"That's true, I don't. I don't know a single thing about your life or why you're here. But I do know this: this was not by your own free will, and you have been lying to every one about how you really feel."

That struck a nerve. Annie stayed quiet.

"However, I would very much like to know the real you," Eda told her sincerely, too sincerely and Annie didn't trust it. Rather, she didn't want to. "I don't know why you do what you do, but it'd be nice to know who you really are underneath your exterior."

"Well, too bad. No one here knows the real me and it's going to stay that way," Annie spat back with less enthusiasm than she intended. It was getting harder to pretend in front of her.

"I understand. I wouldn't want to pry." Eda responded calmly.

An uncomfortable silence drew over the two like a thick blanket, Eda analyzing the crops while Annie was far too anxious to speak.

Finally, Annie decided to break the tension.

She swallowed thickly and cleared her throat. "So... are you going to tell anyone?"

"Of course not. I have no reason to."

"W-Well, good. It's none of their, or your, business anyway." Annie huffed back, but listlessly as if her angry words held no true animosity.

Despite this rude comment, Eda simply smiled at her and asked, "Now then, I'm pretty sure you know what you're doing; you're just not applying yourself. So, do you really want to hear an old woman like me jabber on about things you already know?"

"I...I guess not," the young farmer shrugged.

"Good. Then, I'll let you be and tell Veronica I gave you a little refresher, but if you'll do me this favor: please try. I know you can do wonderfully if you put forth the effort. Well, have a good day, deary." with those words Eda scuttled away to her farm, leaving Annie alone with her thoughts.

She didn't like that Eda knew. She didn't like that she could see through her facade. And yet, despite this, a wry smile tugged at her lips. Eda was a pretty cool old woman, she gave her that.

* * *

Fall arrived and there was one thing she was certain of: She hated the townsfolk.

They were all just so... _annoying._ It was one of those stereotypical small towns where everyone knew everybody and they were sickeningly friendly to one another.

And they would all try to talk to her — _all the time._ It was like when she stepped foot into town, she was bombarded with a hoard of hicks greeting her and trying to make boring, small talk with her. It aggravated her to no end, especially considering that in order to sell her product she had to haul it all the way down to the Trade Depot and was therefore forced to be social.

The Trade Depot wasn't all that bad, though. Since the town was relatively unknown, not many people came by to do business with them and as a result only one vendor would visit close to daily. The only problem with her was that her accent was so thick Annie could barely make out a single word she was saying. Nevertheless, she paid well so she didn't complain. Outwardly, anyway.

The potential dating material wasn't anything to brag about either. Aside from Fritz, there was a blonde guy who looked creepily close to a little kid, an older gentleman who was actually okay if he didn't constantly feel the need to talk down to her like she was a child, some landscaper who didn't understand how to at least fake being social, and a restaurant owner who was admittedly gorgeous and seemed to be an all around down-to-earth guy.

However, she knew his type and wasn't going to fall for his charade. The man had women throwing themselves left and right at him whenever she would eat at his restaurant; there was no way he wasn't a total player. It was easy to see his true self.

Annie ultimately decided she'd go after the older guy, Klaus or whatever German name it was. She knew how to play her cards with men who were older; she had plenty of experience, even if that wasn't something she'd openly admit. All she had to do was put on the cutesy, innocent schoolgirl-esque act and he'd be falling for her in no time. She had a feeling he was into women a good deal younger than him — not illegal young, but just barely passing — and liked the power he had of being their elder. He gave off an experienced, dom vibe.

She wasn't really interested in a long term relationship, though. That was why going for the older guy first was the smart move; he'd understand what it was and hopefully go along with it. Seeing as she was only supposed to be living in this rat-hole town for about a year, she planned to skip from guy to guy. It wouldn't have a lasting impact, so why worry?

It all boiled down how she hated much this town and didn't care for anyone in it. There was no point in making a good impression.

* * *

Winter came faster than she had expected, and with it came the unwanted gift of burden.

A soft knocking at the door woke Annie up from her sleep. Sitting up, she groggily rubbed her eyes as a low groan emitted from her lips. What time was it? She squinted her eyes as she gazed over at her alarm clock, the intense brightness giving her a slight headache. She could just barely make out the tiny, blurry numbers.

 **5:37AM**

More knocks could be heard and Annie's facial expression darkened. Who could possibly be at her house at such a dreadfully early time? If there was one thing she valued more than anything, it was her sleep and now some jerk was ruining the little amount she received. Seeing as she used to stay up until two or three in the morning whilst sleeping in until afternoon, she was just starting to become accustomed to going to bed at ten in the evening.

Swinging her legs over her bed side, Annie slouched forward and took a few seconds to collect herself. When she felt like she could stand up without instantly falling over, the farmer got up and stretched out her tired limbs. She made a halfhearted attempt to smooth down her messy hair then walked over to open the door.

It was Veronica, standing in front of her door with a noticeably dispirited visage. Her cheeks were tear-stained and her eyes were both red and puffy as she stared at her rather intensively.

"Veronica?" Annie questioned, frowning herself as a brisk wind blew by the pair and sent chills up her spine.

"Eda has passed away." Veronica bluntly stated, taking in a deep breath as if to keep her composure.

The words in their own were simple and straightforward. And yet, they caused her heart to drop down into the pit of her stomach.

"Wh-What...?" she quietly said, standing there uselessly as if she was incapable of moving, still as a statue.

Veronica nodded her head slowly, straightening her back as she tried to keep some equanimity. "Yes, she died in her sleep. We're not sure how long she's been dead, but when I visited her around five or so, she was gone. But please be assured that it's nothing to be sad about; she died from old age, having lived a long, full life."

Annie couldn't even pretend to feel any different emotion as she felt herself be consumed by an overwhelming anguish. The only question was why she felt so sad. She didn't even care for her, right?

So she remained silent, unsure of what to say.

"The funeral service will be held tomorrow at 8:00AM. It would be very appreciated if you came. I know Eda cared for you very much, and considered you as one of her own grandchildren. It would have meant a lot to her if you showed up." Veronica explained to her, giving a polite bow before walking off.

For Annie, she didn't know how to react or even feel. So, she decided to go to the funeral. Her alarm went off and she got out of bed, not making any inward complaints about how badly she didn't want to wake up or how much she couldn't stand working on a farm.

Rummaging through her closet, she grabbed the dress she had laid out specifically for the occasion. She slipped it on and took a look at herself in the mirror: it was black and knee-length, not too baggy nor too tight with long, transparent sleeves. She looked rather professional, if she did say so herself. However, she couldn't bring herself to feel proud of her wardrobe choices. It just wasn't the time.

Annie looked in front the mirror and took two hand-fulls on either side of her hair in a dull fashion, letting them drop lifelessly. She didn't even know what to do with it. She took a few more minutes toying with her thick strands until she ultimately decided to put it up in a neat, little bun and let her bangs frame her face. She put on some black pantyhose and added a light dusting of make-up to her face, before deciding it was time to go.

Arriving there, she took in the bleak surroundings. Everyone else dressed accordingly in dark colors, and there the entire town stood at the graveyard in front of her burial ground. The sun shone proudly and the pastel blue sky was painted with white clouds lazily drifting along, yet the atmosphere was drearily austere as if to boldly defy the current weather.

It was funny, throughout her life she had been worried she might be apathetic. Her therapists had brought up the idea to her parents before, seeing as she felt little to no remorse for the bad things she'd done or the lack of emotion she felt in general. She couldn't even remember the last time she genuinely cried out of sorrow.

However, this whole funeral made her question everything. Because, as she stood there with her hands clasped tightly in front of her and her head held down low, the only thing that overcame her was an overpowering sense of grief. The words of the priest rang out into the brisk, silent air.

"...let us not mourn Eda's passing, as she would not have wanted that. Instead, let us remember her as she was and cherish the moments we were able to make with her throughout her life..."

Annie didn't even realize she had collapsed onto the ground. On her knees in a pathetic puddle of self-pity and woe, she let out a sorrowful cry and began to bawl her eyes out too melodramatically for her taste, hunching forward as her body convulsed with heavy, gasping sobs.

Nobody bothered her, nobody tried to pick her back up or told her to stop crying. She knew how she looked in their eyes: like a small, frightened child who couldn't come to terms with death; only having the vague concept of 'grandma is never ever coming back'. So they let her have her moment of wallowing, as it just made sense to them. Eda and Annie were close, right? They had a grandmother/granddaughter relationship, so of course she'd be torn up.

That's normally what she would have wanted everyone to think. To keep up the persona, she had to feign closeness to the woman and pretend to be truly devastated by her lose.

Except, this wasn't acting. Never in her life could she successfully emulate such strong emotions and cry like she was doing right now. The raw emotions oozed out of her very being and were on display for the whole world to see. It only happened to work in her favor by chance.

This wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to form a bond with anyone here, but looked what happened: she let her guard down and let someone in, even if slightly, and they were ripped away from her. That was what happened when you allowed yourself to be vulnerable.

It didn't matter; she only had one season left. She knew could make it somehow.

* * *

A year had passed so fast she was astonished when she looked at the calendar. It was a big day for her and there was nothing that could put a damper on her incandescent attitude.

Even when things during this particular day were not going well at all for her. First, it started with her having no hot water for her morning shower. Not that it was a huge deal, but her hair felt a little greasy so she used her handkerchief to skillfully tie it up in a bun, albeit loose and messy with strands falling out.

After that, she realized that her contacts were missing. She searched high and low, but for the life of her couldn't find the damn things. So, she did what she hoped she would never have to do again: put on her glasses.

She picked them up from the case and gave them a chaste examination, scrunching her nose up in disgust. Thin, yellow frames with a square shape that she hated with a burning passion. They made her look mousy and meek, both of which she personally thought were the exact opposite of her.

Annie gave herself a once-over in the mirror, deciding she looked acceptable before a firm knocking came from the door. She took a deep breath and put on her best, feigned smile before heading to the door.

Opening it, there her probation officer stood. She was a middle-aged woman with a stringent appearance, complete with a pointy nose and judgmental eyes that pierced through your soul. With librarian glasses and her hair pulled back in a bun tightly, she actually reminded her a tad bit of Margot.

"Judy!" Annie cheerfully chirped, trying to keep her insincere smile in tact. Gesturing her hand to the inside of her house, she said, "Please, won't you come in?"

"Annie," Judy briskly greeted back with her nose upturned, slowly walking into her house, "You're in a rather chipper mood today, aren't you?"

"Of course I am. How could I not be?" Annie retaliated gleefully, pulling out the chair at her table, "Please, have a seat."

"Thank you," Judy said in a formal manner, sitting down with her back perfectly straight and hands folded neatly in her lap.

"Coffee?" Annie politely offered.

"Yes. Black, please."

"Of course you'd take it black," Annie murmured disdainfully with a discreet roll of her eyes, waltzing over to her coffee maker and pouring the bitter liquid into a mug before handing it to her.

Judy gave another 'thank you' before taking the steaming-hot mug and blowing on it before taking a sip. The bitterness didn't even phase her, but that wasn't really a shock.

"Sooo," Annie began, purposefully prolonging the vowels as she faced her probation officer. "When am I leaving?"

"Excuse me?"

"Y'know, the reason you're here? To tell me that I'm off the hook since it's been a year and I can go home?" Annie responded a little cheekily, but made sure to keep her sass in line.

Judy closed her eyes and released a subtle sigh. Looking back at her with unwavering, unreadable eyes, she bluntly stated, "You're not leaving."

"...I'm sorry, what?" Annie could barely ask as she gawked at her with wide eyes.

"It's with remorse that I have to inform you this but we have come to the conclusion you are not ready to leave," the older woman explained candidly, not really appearing regretful at all.

Annie opened her mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a strangled croak. She was practically in shock.

"I'm aware this is a lot to take in, but I assure you this is for the best." Judy tried to convince her, but she wasn't having it.

"You... you're joking, right?" Annie nervously laughed, even though in the back of her mind she knew the answer.

"No."

"Okay, okay... how much longer do I have to stay here, then?"

"I can say anything with certainty at the moment, but I would assume about another year."

"Wha— another _year?_ No, no, no! This isn't fair!" Annie indignantly shouted, body trembling in unadulterated fury. "You said that if I stayed here for one year, I'd be off the hook! That's what the agreement was!"

"No, that is false. The agreement was that you would come live here and after a year we would see where you were at with your progress," she corrected her, keeping her poise as the younger woman became more and more frantic.

"Okay, and where am I at?" Annie shot back.

"You have made very little to no progress." she answered curtly.

"That's total bullshit!" she growled venomously.

"Please watch your language," Judy said, then took her glasses off to make her penetrating gaze even more intimidating as she continued, "Regardless of what you say, we have had someone keeping tabs on you and from what we've been informed you have yet to make any true progress."

"Who?"

"I'm not at liberty to tell; it's confidential. Nonetheless, I could tell you were unchanged right when you answered the door. Putting on that fabricated facade of yours, thinking you're smarter than everyone else because you believe no one can see through you. You're still the same manipulative, lying sociopath you were when you first arrived. Have you even made any friends since?"

"Yeah, I have plenty of people here who like me," Annie huffed, feeling the rage steadily build up inside her. She really hated her probation officer.

"That wasn't the question. You can have people like the exterior of what they think is the real you, but I'm inquiring if you have forged any genuine bonds. Have you been capable of tolerating someone for more than a few minutes and actually open up to them?"

Annie didn't even have to think about it. Her hostility toned down as she quietly responded, "Yeah, I actually did. She... she died last season."

"My, is that authentic dejection I see on your face? Color me shocked," Judy sarcastically stated, only further fueling the young farmer's desire to cause her bodily harm. She could put her down all she wanted, but for some reason she felt particularly defensive towards her questioning of how she felt about Eda.

"Anyhow, no matter how much of a temper tantrum you throw, the decision is final. Your parents have agreed as well." Judy told her, her tough countenance softening if only a little, "I truly am sorry, Annie. We all just want what is best for you."

"Whatever," Annie cantankerously spat, refusing to look at her as rubbed her temples in a futile attempt to calm herself down. "I'd really appreciate it if you'd get the hell out of my house now, Judy. I have work to do."

"So be it." Judy sighed with her thin lips in a firm line, standing up from her chair and making her way to the door. She turned around to say one last thing, "I once again apologize for this inconvenience, Annie. I know you were hoping for better news, but I promise you this is for your benefit."

"Just get out," Annie said in an almost pleading way, unable to dish out anymore anger. She was completely drained.

With that, Judy left and the only sound heard was the shutting of the door resonating throughout her empty house. For Annie, it was like all her hope had been stripped from her body and all that was left behind was despair.

Her spirit was broken; _she_ was broken. She didn't know how she could make it.

* * *

 _A/N: This is a two-shot, so hopefully I'll get the second part done in a timely manner. I'm still deciding who I want Annie to be paired up with in this; it's either gonna be Klaus or Raeger._

 _The general concept for this was based off the Annie personality in my one-shot Persuasion, but only far more drastic. I honestly wanted to be make her not exactly the most likable character._

 _I don't have much to say right now, but please read and review! I hope you enjoyed it._


End file.
